


Ray's Assortment

by mizface



Category: due South
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-19
Updated: 2012-04-19
Packaged: 2017-11-03 21:45:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/386293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizface/pseuds/mizface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Instead of the Crayola label, the pack now said “Ray’s Assortment.</p><p>Sequel to Shocking Pink.  Originally posted on bringthehappy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ray's Assortment

The small wrapped box was waiting on Ray’s desk when he returned from yet another nowhere lead. There was no note attached, and the plain paper gave no indication of who might have left it. He looked around, but no one was paying it or him the least bit of attention.

“Hey,” he called out, waving the box above his head, “anybody see who left this for me?” A few people glanced up, shrugged, then went back to what they were doing. “Great,” he muttered as he sat down. “Way to go on being Chicago’s finest there, guys.”

Ray had felt something shift when he’d held up the box; he shook it lightly and several somethings moved softly. At least whatever it was didn’t sound breakable.

Sighing, he leaned forward in his chair and carefully peeled the tape away from the top edge, smiling to himself. If Fraser could see him he’d never believe it; Ray was typically a shredder when it came to opening presents. His partner on the other hand was so careful he could, and probably did re-use gift wrap from every present he’d ever gotten.

Tape removed, he pulled back the paper to reveal… a box of crayons. O-kay, _that_ was weird. He finished taking off the paper, then turned the box over in his hands and had to stifle a chuckle when he saw the front. Instead of the Crayola label, the pack now said “Ray’s Assortment.”

Ray leaned back in his chair and smiled widely. “Freak,” he said softly as he turned the box over in his hands. He and Fraser’d had that crayon color conversation weeks ago. That Fraser had been planning this made Ray feel kind of warm and fuzzy, though he’d never admit it. Leave it to Ben to hold onto something like that and use it to surprise Ray.

He opened the box and pulled out a bright yellow crayon, not at all surprised to find it was Unmellow Yellow. And the black was, of course, Leather Jacket and just like Fraser had said, it did kind of smell like leather. He pulled out a dark red crayon next and laughed loud enough to get a few looks. Fraser had re-labeled it Mountie Maroon. And the neon green he took out next was now called Lickable-light-socket Lime. Wait a minute…

If Fraser had remembered Ray saying that, what other colors did he rename? There was no way he’d actually… or would he? Ray turned his chair to hide the box from passers by, and looked at the colors carefully, then picked out the brightest blue one. He sucked in a breath as he read the label, eyes wide, then gathered all the crayons and put them back in the box. He looked at his watch. “Fuck it, close enough to quitting time,” he said to himself as he grabbed his jacket and headed toward the door. If he hurried, he’d have just enough time before Ben got home from the Consulate.

********

Fraser arrived at their apartment to find a note on the door, crudely drawn and in crayon. “Welcome Home” it read, with stick figure drawings of himself (he assumed given the hat) and Dief. Dief woofed and Fraser nodded, grinning down at him. “It appears Ray liked my little surprise.”

He opened the door and went in, hanging his hat and laying his keys on the table by the door. He’d thought to find Ray on the couch watching television, as he often did when he arrived home before Fraser, but there was no sign of him. He felt a paw on his foot, and looked down to see another note. This one had a drawing of Dief with an arrow pointing toward the kitchen. Fraser picked it up and saw that Ray had drawn two bowls, one with water and the other with what looked to be slices of pizza.

“It looks as if your dinner is ready, Diefenbaker, and that Ray has decided to indulge your junk food habit.” Dief cocked his head, and Fraser sighed deeply. “Well it’s already done, so I suppose I can’t say no now. But don’t think you won’t be getting an extra run to work it off,” he went on as Dief trotted happily to the kitchen. Fraser shook his head; he really needed to talk with Ray about spoiling that wolf.

He started toward the bedroom, noting that the door was uncharacteristically closed. Another drawing; this one of him (sans hat, as Ray knew he’d have taken it off at the door) and an arrow pointing toward the endtable by the couch. Fraser walked over, curious, to find an array of crayons fanned out, labels up, along with another note. This one simply said, “Color me any way you want.” Oh my. He looked over the crayons. Labeling them had been hard enough – now he was supposed to pick one?

He stood there a few moments, then heard the bedroom door open and then there was Ray, wrapping his arms around Fraser’s waist, pulling him close. “What do you say, Ben? What color looks good on me?” he murmured, breath hot against Fraser’s ear. “Fuck-me Fuschia?” Ray’s hands slid down, and Fraser swallowed hard. “How about Go-down-on-you Green?” His hands kept moving, and Fraser leaned back, feeling Ray hard against him. He turned in Ray’s arms to kiss him hotly as he moved them toward the bedroom.

********

“I still cannot believe you did that, Fraser,” Ray said much later, head pillowed on Fraser’s chest.

“If I’d known your reaction would be this… intense, I’d have done it sooner,” Fraser replied as he ran his hand through Ray’s sweat-dampened hair.

“Hey, you never swear, so how else am I gonna react when I see that you actually wrote ‘fuck’ on a _crayon_ of all things?”

“I was just quoting you, Ray.”

“Yeah, well all I can say is it’s a good think you weren’t actually there when I saw that, or else we would’ve gotten arrested for lewd and lascivious acts right there at my desk.”

Ray felt as much as heard Fraser’s chuckle, and moved to prop himself up to kiss him.

“What, you’re not going to protest that you’d never do such a thing? That we’re sworn to maintain the law or anything like that?” Ray teased.

Fraser’s face was serious, but his eyes twinkled. “You’re a terrible influence on me, Ray Kowalski. I’ve already defaced a child’s coloring set for carnal purposes. Who knows what I might do next?”

“That box _is_ a pack of twenty-four, in case you need some ideas” he replied, sliding on top of Fraser. “What color crayon are you now, Benton Fraser?”


End file.
